What does Hebrews 6:4-6 mean? Can those who have been saved lose their salvation?

Question

This passage is a bit confusing. Could someone please shed some light on how to interpret what the author said here?

Hebrews 6:4-6 (NIV)
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

What exactly did this mean to its original audience? Was the author saying that people who had once been saved could lose their salvation or is this saying something else?

Answer 1

Let's break down the passage in its context (DRB throughout; bold mine)—without importing theology into the text, letting it speak for itself.

The author of Hebrews, as the other NT books, very clearly and unequivocally teaches the need to actively persevere to the end to be saved (to be distinguished from persevering to earn salvation), just as this was necessary for the saints of the Old Covenant (citing examples whose relevance depends on said understanding). This is why it comes in warning and exhortation form, and not descriptive form, as some would perhaps prefer.

Beginning at Chapter 3, the author exhorts and reminds the believers of this duty of Christians, who includes himself (v. 6 "we") as no less under the same obligation (Rom 8:12-13):

3:5-6 And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be said: 6 But Christ as the Son in his own house: which house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and glory of hope unto the end.

This is a classic conditional (Rom 8:17; Lk 14:27). Here, holding fast the confidence you have at the beginning of Christian life is not optional, but rather being of the household of the Lord is here predicated on such perseverance. In other words, more simply put, 'If we hold fast our confidence unto the end, we are the house of the Lord: we are not the house of the Lord irregardless of our attitude to Christian living and conduct.'

3:7-19 Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith: To day if you shall hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation; in the day of temptation in the desert, 9 Where your fathers tempted me, proved and saw my works, 10 Forty years: for which cause I was offended with this generation, and I said: They always err in heart. And they have not known my ways, 11 As I have sworn in my wrath: If they shall enter into my rest. 12 Take heed, brethren, lest perhaps there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, to depart from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, whilst it is called to day, that none of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we are made partakers of Christ: yet so, if we hold the beginning of his substance firm unto the end. 15 While it is said, To day if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in that provocation. 16 For some who heard did provoke: but not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 And with whom was he offended forty years? Was it not with them that sinned, whose carcasses were overthrown in the desert? 18 And to whom did he swear, that they should not enter into his rest: but to them that were incredulous? 19 And we see that they could not enter in, because of unbelief.

Harden not your hearts (v. 8) means it is in their power to harden their hearts. And we know that hardening their hearts means they will not enter into His rest (v. 18). The author worries that someone will grow cold (Mt 24:12-13) and become incredulous, (Lk 8:13) or harden their hearts. He says so explicitly, to exhort one another so that they do not become hardened in heart, even citing the Scripture and applying an urgency: "whilst it is still day"—while you still have the opportunity (Jn 9:4). He worries they will be seduced and indeed decieved by sin.

How does he continue immediately after saying this?

4:1 Let us fear therefore lest the promise being left of entering into his rest, any of you should be thought to be wanting.

There is something to fall short of here (holding your confidence to the end). Let us fear obviously doesn't mean a group of people shuddering in uncertainty. It obviously means 'let's make sure that doesn't happen to us.'

In concordance with the abovementioned understanding of let us fear, he says a few verses later:

4:11 Let us hasten therefore to enter into that rest; lest any man fall into the same example of unbelief.

And in yet other words:

4:14 Having therefore a great high priest that hath passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God: let us hold fast our confession.

Two verses later, he mentions the inevitability of sinning along the way, but not leaving us a sickness without a cure, he relates how we have available to use the grace of God through Him who can sympathize with your infirmity and proclivity to sin even after we are regenerated (Jas 3:2; Rom 7:19), sought at the throne of grace:

4:15-16 For we have not a high priest, who can not have compassion on **our infirmities: but one tempted in all things like as we are, without sin. *Let us go therefore with confidence to the throne of grace: that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid.

We need to find mercy when we falter (1 Jn 1:9; 2 Pet 1:9), otherwise we have left ourselves in a state no better than those who hardened their hearts and didn't recieve mercy, but remained in their sin.

He briefly remarks about their being slow to understand even the basics of the Faith, and begins Chapter 6 thus:

6:1-3 Wherefore leaving the word of the beginning of Christ, let us go on to things more perfect, not laying again the foundation of [repentance] from dead works, and of faith towards God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and imposition of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit.

The principle things of Christ are identified as such things as repentance, faith, the baptismal ritual, "the laying on of hands of the presbyterhood," (1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6), resurrection and judgement, and so foth. The audience of the Epistle were dull of hearing even to these fundamentals. Relevant here is the fundamental nature of repentance from the sins of the old man.

We then get to our passage:

For it is impossible for those who were once illuminated, have tasted also the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 Have moreover tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 And are fallen away: to be renewed again to [repentance], crucifying again to themselves the Son of God, and making him a mockery. 7 For the earth that drinketh in the rain which cometh often upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is tilled, receiveth blessing from God. 8 But that which bringeth forth thorns and briers, is reprobate, and very near unto a curse, whose end is to be burnt.

Breaking this down syntactically will greatly help us:

• "It is impossible ... to be renewed again to repentance."

Why is it impossible to be renewed again to repentance after having been:

• "illuminated," having "tasted also the heavenly gift," and having been "made partakers of the Holy Ghost," have "tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come," and have then "fallen away"?

Because by so doing they are:

• "crucifying again to themselves the Son of God," and "making him a mockery."

He clarifies this in Chapter 10:

10:19-31 Having therefore, brethren, a confidence in the entering into the holies by the blood of Christ; 20 A new and living way which he hath dedicated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, 21 And a high priest over the house of God: 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with clean water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering (for he is faithful that hath promised), 24 And let us consider one another, to provoke unto charity and to good works: 25 Not forsaking our assembly, as some are accustomed; but comforting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. 26 For if we sin wilfully after having the knowledge of the truth, there is now left no sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain dreadful expectation of judgment, and the rage of a fire which shall consume the adversaries. 28 A man making void the law of Moses, dieth without any mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 How much more, do you think he deserveth worse punishments, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath esteemed the blood of the testament unclean, by which he was sanctified, and hath offered an affront to the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know him that hath said: Vengeance belongeth to me, and I will repay. And again: The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

What's worse than dying without mercy by stoning? Eternal death and having your portion with the adversaries of God (Lk 12:46). Why the worse punishment? Because the infinite dignity of Christ is offended, the Spirit of grace who enables us to go to heaven spurned. This is a form of the 'unforgivable' sin—to reject your means of heaven (the Holy Ghost). It's unforgivable not because of the limitations of God's mercy, but because of the nature of forgiveness: God can't forgive someone who does not want forgiven. To want forgiven is completely incompatible with a habitual or life-long, enduring "willful" sinning—to will the sin is to will not-God, and therefore not heaven, and there will be no unwilling residents held hostage in heaven.

The author goes to pains to mention that, while we can falter, for which reason he exhorts us not to, but to hold fast, God has still remained faithful (Jn 6:37):

2 Timothy 2:11-13 A faithful saying: for if we be dead with him, we shall live also with him. 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. 13 If we believe not, he continueth faithful, he can not deny himself.

That is, it's not that God has failed us, but we have "been found wanting" (Heb 4:1) by God.

Let's hone in on the analogy the author gives to understand what he writes before it:

Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once illuminated, have tasted also the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 Have moreover tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 And are fallen away: to be renewed again to [repentance], crucifying again to themselves the Son of God, and making him a mockery. 7 For the earth that drinketh in the rain which cometh often upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is tilled, receiveth blessing from God. 8 But that which bringeth forth thorns and briers, is reprobate, and very near unto a curse, whose end is to be burnt.

(Notice that the person in question is near to a curse, He is not accursed, He has been made a partaker of the Holy Ghost, anything but a reprobate.)

This is the same teaching as Jesus' on His being the Source of Christian virtue and good works, and that unfruitful branches, if they do not "remain" in Him, are cut off, carried away and burned, a clear reference to Hell:

John 15:1-11 I am the true vine; and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me, that beareth not fruit, he will take away: and every one that beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now you are clean by reason of the word, which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. 6 If any one abide not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 In this is my Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit, and become my disciples.

9 As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; as I also have kept my Father's commandments, and do abide in his love.

Obedience and bringing forth fruit is not an optional extra and 'its nice if you have it' but 'its not necessary for salvation.' That's not what Jesus teaches or taught, and that's not what Hebrews, as we have clearly demonstrated, taught. He teaches that you abide in Him if, being enabled and empowered by His grace, you "continue in goodness, otherwise you also will be cut off" (Rom 11:22).

So the answer is, yes, it is about falling away from the Faith like those who hardened their hearts of old, and did not enter into the rest of the Lord. To find some underlying 'no, you can't lose your salvation' is just reading into the text which contains quite clear warnings against falling away—not against merely not coming to believe in Christ in the first place.

Answer 2

Passages like this illustrate that hermeneutics as it is practiced is not a science, since the results are not reproducible. Determining the meaning of this (nor any) passage cannot be done in isolation of what the rest of scripture says.

If one has concluded from the rest of scripture that salvation cannot be lost, then this passage is made to support it by making the "if" of falling away a hypothetical "if".

If one has concluded that salvation can be lost from the rest of scripture, then this passage is made to support that position by interjecting an intermediate stage of "backsliding" where one is in jeopardy but not fully reprobate, in order to provide that those who have backslidden can regain their salvation.

The stated meaning of the text reflects more upon the interpreter's presuppositions than upon the "science" of hermeneutics.

If one lets scripture speak, then this is a parallel passage to these:

As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. —Proverbs 26:11

But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. —2 Peter 2:22

As such, the nature of the one "falling away" is revealed by the falling away. He is metaphorically a dog or a sow.

This still does not resolve the issue for those who hold presuppositions. It merely pushes the question to another layer.

"Can a dog or a sow become a sheep?" The answer has to be emphatically "Yes!" Since even a "camel can go through the eye of a needle" with God. In the metaphor of sensus plenior, we are each both sheep and goats. Our goat nature will be separated from our sheep nature when Christ takes us away. He separates the sheep from the goats.

Are we also dogs and sows? The dog is one who returns to his old sin. Paul tells us:

For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. —Romans 7.15

And the law tells us that we are "unclean until the evening".

The sow is one who does not discern what she is eating as a metaphor for the junk that we bring into our lives. If we still sin in some of the old ways, and we still put junk in our lives, the we too are dogs and sows, even while being sheep.

In the context of the metaphoric meanings, this passage says that the current nature of a person is revealed in their falling away, and that the fallen flesh nature of man cannot be redeemed.

Not mentioned in the passage is that Christ can still make you a new creature.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. —2 Corinthians 5:17

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. —Galatians 6:15

God does not redeem a prostitute. He makes her a virgin.

Adam is an example of one who fell away. He could not be "fixed" which is why we must all be made new. Was he saved? His sin was covered with a promise of Christ in the type of the slain animals for clothing.

Answer 3

This passage deals with baptism.

The NIV translation masks some of the meaning of what is being conveyed here. A more literal translation is:

For [it is] impossible [for] those who were enlightened once for all, and who tasted of the gift, the heavenly [one], and became partakers of [the] Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God and [the] powers of [the] age to come, and who fell away, to renew [them] again to repentance, since they crucify anew to themselves the Son of God and make a public example of [Him].¹

The Greek word here translated as enlightened - which could also have been rendered as "illumined" is φωτίζω (phōtizō). Paul uses the same word in 10:32:

But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;

In antiquity, this term was commonly used to refer to baptism. Justin Martyr (100-165) uses the term, for example, in his explanation of Christian baptism in his First Apology:

And this washing is called illumination, because they who learn these things are illuminated in their understandings. And in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and in the name of the Holy Ghost, who through the prophets foretold all things about Jesus, he who is illuminated is washed.²

Of this verse, Ambrose (374-397) writes:

So, then, that which he says in this Epistle to the Hebrews, that it is impossible for those who have fallen to be “renewed unto repentance, crucifying again the Son of God, and putting Him to open shame,” must be considered as having reference to baptism, wherein we crucify the Son of God in ourselves, that the world may be by Him crucified for us, who triumph, as it were, when we take to ourselves the likeness of His death, who put to open shame upon His cross principalities and powers, and triumphed over them, that in the likeness of His death we, too, might triumph over the principalities whose yoke we throw off. But Christ was crucified once, and died to sin once, and so there is but one, not several baptisms.³

What the NIV translates as brought back to repentance, however, really says renew again to repentance (ἀνακαινίζειν εἰς μετάνοιαν) - with the phrase calling to mind the state of "newness" (καινότης). This makes it somewhat clearer, I think, that the passage is not saying that no one can be "brought back" to any kind of repentance at all, but rather that they cannot be "renewed" the way that they were at baptism. John Chrysostom (349-407) explains:

What then (you say)? Is there no repentance? There is repentance, but there is no second baptism: but repentance there is, and it has great force, and is able to set free from the burden of his sins, if he will, even him that hath been baptized much in sins, and to establish in safety him who is in danger, even though he should have come unto the very depth of wickedness. And this is evident from many places. For, says one, doth not he that falleth rise again? or he that turneth away, doth not he turn back to [God]? [Jer 8:4] It is possible, if we will, that Christ should be formed in us again: for hear Paul saying, My little children of whom I travail in birth again, until Christ be formed in you. [Gal 4:19]. Only let us lay hold on repentance.⁴

Ambrose provides a similar interpretation:

And indeed I might also say to any one who thought that this passage spoke of repentance, that things which are impossible with men are possible with God; and God is able whensoever He wills to forgive us our sins, even those which we think cannot be forgiven. And so it is possible for God to give us that which it seems to us impossible to obtain. For it seemed impossible that water should wash away sin, and Naaman the Syrian [2/4 Kings 5:11] thought that his leprosy could not be cleansed by water. But that which was impossible God made to be possible, Who gave us so great grace. In like manner it seemed impossible that sins should be forgiven through repentance, but Christ gave this power to His apostles, which has been transmitted to the priestly office. That, then, has become possible which was impossible. But, by a true reasoning, he convinces us that the reiteration by any one of the Sacrament of Baptism is not permitted.⁵

---

<sup>1. Orthodox New Testament
2. Chapter LXI
3. On Repentance, Book II, No. 10
4. Homily IX on Hebrews, No. 8
5. Ibid., No. 12</sup>

Answer 4

Meaning of this passage

The purpose of this passage is a call, a warning, to avoid apostasy. This passage is very clearly saying that people who have received God's blessings should not turn away from God and that if they do, they will never be able to again receive God's blessings.

"Fallen Away"

This passage is a call to avoid apostasy.

The one who falls away isn't one who sins, but one who turns completely from God and his beliefs: the apostate. The warning here is against someone who completely rejects God and his Son.

No doubt, any sin whatsoever turns us away from God; any sin is a falling away from Christianity. But the warning here isn't against sinning, but from turning away from the grace of Christianity—renouncing God, his Son, and the grace offered.

For he falls away who forsakes the word of God, who extinguishes its light, who deprives himself of the taste of the heavens or gift, who relinquishes the participation of the Spirit. Now this is wholly to renounce God. —John Calvin, Commentary on Hebrews

Brought Back to Repentance

This passage speaks a very dire warning to avoid turning away from God—to avoid not only sin, but apostasy. That if we do such a horrible deed, it will be impossible to be "brought back to repentance".

In a commentary by Charlene McCaa,

The warning of this passage is to be not like Esau, who held the things of God lightly. That one sold his birthright as the first born son for temporal gain or satisfaction, then sought repentance with bitter tears, but to no avail. What was his, then given up, was lost forever. —Charlene McCaa, Hebrews Commentary Project

We see that when someone turns away from God and his grace, lays aside his salvation. This person cannot take it up again. Attempting to return to God would be like crucifying Christ again:

Crucify Christ Again

But the reason why he says, that Christ would thus be crucified again, is, because we die with him for the very purpose of living afterwards a new life; when therefore any return as it were unto death, they have need of another sacrifice —John Calvin, Commentary on Hebrews

Loss of Salvation?

This is a battleground topic.

Some believe that loss of salvation is possible. To those people, this is one of the passages that clearly illustrates the point.

To those who believe that loss of salvation is not possible (Perseverance of the Saints), this is viewed as passage that is speaking to the unbelievers—to the non-Christians:

But I cannot admit that all this is any reason why he should not grant the reprobate also some taste of his grace, why he should not irradiate their minds with some sparks of his light, why he should not give them some perception of his goodness, and in some sort engrave his word on their hearts... There is therefore some knowledge even in the reprobate, which afterwards vanishes away. —John Calvin, Commentary on Hebrews

From Calvin's commentary, we can see that this is a warning for those who are non-believers, yet have tasted God's grace. From this perspective, this passage is not about loss of salvation (since the reprobate had no salvation to lose), but rather about the gifts that come with knowing God's grace.

Summary

This passage can be clearly understood to mean that if we have accepted God's grace, we should not turn from it. If we do turn from that grace and reject God, we will never be able again to enter into that grace.

Whether this leads to loss of salvation, however, is a doctrinal issue. This passage does not necessarily provide concrete proof for loss of salvation. It entirely depends on the doctrinal stance from which you approach the passage.

Hebrews 10:26-27 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Answer 5

No.

Losing salvation is not a possibility. The important thing is to always compare Scripture with Scripture.

Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

John 6:37-40 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 10:1-5 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

John 10:26-29 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

Reading the above passages, we can understand the following truths.

• Jesus knows His sheep
• The sheep (Christians) will never follow a stranger (false religion)
• Those who go to Hell were NEVER saved, because Jesus says that He NEVER knew them
• Saved people are promised eternal life and God promises to KEEP them to the end

Saved people are not kept by their own power. Anyone who says that we can lose salvation IS teaching works salvation. They can play with words as much as they want, but in the end, they still require man to observe the 10 Commandments (or other laws) to earn Heaven.

Tell me, what is the difference between this and Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and other religions? All religions require man to observe a set of laws to earn Heaven.

Hebrews 6:4-6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

Knowing what other passages teach, we can now interpret Hebrews 6:4-6 in proper context. Hebrews 6 refers to those who were never saved to begin with. The Bible is crystal clear in a number of passages that saved people DO NOT stop believing in Christ. There is NO such thing as "leaving the faith" because you cannot leave something you never have been in.

I cannot say, "I left Las Vegas" if I have never been to Las Vegas. In the same way, if you have never been truly in the faith, you cannot say you left it.

Hebrews 10:10-14 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Two other passages in Hebrews clearly teach Once Saved Always Saved. In light of that, you can interpret Hebrews 6 in proper context.

Tasting the gift means nothing. Hebrews 6 refers to those who perhaps went to Church, dabbled in the Bible, read it, prayed, and participated in Bible study, but never accepted Christ as their Savior. They may have gone through the motions of being a Christian (going to Church, Sunday School, Bible study, Christian school, church choir), but never got saved. None of those things save you.

Answer 6

At the risk of getting down votes, I give below my understanding.

Answer

Hebrews 6:4-6 means exactly that: the once justified/saved can lose the salvation.

Explanation

The Scripture is very clear: “salvation” is a life-long process which starts with repentance and “justification/reconciliation” now, and will culminate in a resurrection to the incorruptible spiritual realm.

“Much more then, being justified NOW (present tense) by His blood, we SHALL BE (future tense) saved from the wrath through Him. For if while being enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being (present tense) reconciled, we SHALL BE (future tense) saved by His life” (Rom 5:9-11).

The justification or reconciliation is a “now” incident but the real result of salvation is in the “future”; at the resurrection exactly.

How do we get justified/reconciled now?

1. We are justified by Jesus’s blood:

“being justified now by His blood” (Rom 5:9).

2. We are reconciled by the death of Jesus:

“we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Rom 5:10).

3. We are justified by God’s grace:

“being justified freely by His grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24).

4. We are justified by faith:

“Then being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).

5. We are justified by doing the Law:

“For not the hearers of the Law are just with God, but the doers of the Law shall be justified” (Rom 2:13).

6. We are also justified in the name of Jesus:

“but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor 6:11).

People can pick and choose their likes and most often majority pick only “faith alone”.

But we see that it is not faith alone that justifies a believer; justification is by blood, death, grace, faith, doing Law, all in the name of Jesus Christ.

You leave one and there is no justification and salvation!

What Happens at Justification?

None of our past merits or demerits count for anything in God’s choice for justification. It is solely God’s decision. That is why it is done absolutely freely by God’s grace.

Best example is the militant youth Saul of Tarsus who persecuted the Church of God. Yet God decided to elect him for justification freely by His grace. This was something that shocked Paul beyond his comprehension!

Once a person is freely reconciled to God, then God does one thing:

“And some of you were these things, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11).

God gives His Holy Spirit, the “power” (Acts 1:8) to the believer. It is with this Power that the true believers keep God’s spiritual Law (“good works”).

“even He having sealed us, and having given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Cor 1:22).

“And the One having worked in us for this same thing is God, who also is giving us the earnest of the Spirit” (2 Cor 5:5).

“in whom also you, hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is an earnest of our inheritance” (Ephes 1:13-14).

Look at the word “earnest”. The Greek is “arrhabon”. Strong gives definition G728, “a pledge, that is, part of the purchase money or property given in advance as security for the rest”.

So, God’s Holy Spirit is the one factor that makes all the differences.

Did We Receive Salvation?

Scripture says that there is nothing automatic about salvation. There is no “once saved always saved” principle in the Bible.

Apostle Paul says:

“I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself. Of course, my friends, I really do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize” (Phlp 3:12-14).

See, even Apostle Paul still striving towards salvation. He has not yet received it!

“Do you not know that those running in a stadium indeed all run, but one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain” (1 Cor 9:24).

How plain the truth is: the true believers are still running to receive the prize. They have not gained it yet!

“But we should not weaken in doing good, for in due time we shall reap, IF we do not faint” (Gal 6:9).

“So therefore we also, ….., through patience let us also run the race set before us” (Heb 12:1).

So, we see that salvation is yet ahead. The Christian life is hardly a passive life of automatic salvation.

“And so, my dear friends, ….., continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phlp 2:12).

Can We Lose Salvation?

Yes, it is possible to lose salvation as otherwise such an idea would not be mentioned in the Scripture.

The best example is Ananias and his wife Sapphira. Both were part of the true Church of God. They had “great grace upon them” (Acts 4:33). They had received the Holy Spirit after their conversion (Acts 5:3). Yet, they lost the grace and salvation.

Without anyone asking him, Ananias sold his property and gave the proceeds to Apostle Peter but he hid a part of the income. Peter found out that he lied to God which was a sin.

“Peter said to him, "Ananias, why did you let Satan take control of you and make you lie to the Holy Spirit (Ananias had received the Holy Spirit) by keeping part of the money you received for the property? Before you sold the property, it belonged to you; and after you sold it, the money was yours. Why, then, did you decide to do such a thing? You have not lied to people—you have lied to God!" (Acts 5:3-4).

Thus Ananias and his wife both lost their life.

This was a clear case of Ephesians 4:30:

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed to the day of redemption”.

“Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess 5:19).

These above verses are written as warning to the true believers and these prove that the loss of salvation is a possibility.

“For if we are willfully sinning after receiving the full knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice concerning sins” (Heb 10:26).

Apostle Paul was always concerned about the loss of salvation among his brethren:

“I am afraid that when I get there I will find you different from what I would like you to be and you will find me different from what you would like me to be. I am afraid that I will find quarreling and jealousy, hot tempers and selfishness, insults and gossip, pride and disorder. I am afraid that the next time I come my God will humiliate me in your presence, and I shall weep over many who sinned in the past and have not repented of the immoral things they have done—their lust and their sexual sins” (2 Cor 12:20-21).

Paul is afraid of the saints losing the salvation in the Church of God in Corinth.

“I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain (Gal 4:11).

Paul is afraid of the saints losing the salvation in the Church of God in Galatia.

“But when I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out about your faith. I was afraid that the tempter had tempted you in some way, and that our work had been a waste of time” (1 Thess 3:5).

Paul is afraid of the saints losing the salvation in the Church of God in Thessalonica.

Hebrews 6:4-6

Clearly, the passage talks about the saved/justified saints who are very much part of the Church of God.

They were:

1. Enlightened once;
2. Tasted the heavenly gift;
3. Received the Holy Spirit of God;
4. Tasted the good Word of God;
5. Tasted the works of power of a coming Age;

Yet, according to the author of Hebrews, they may fall away!

Nobody can say that they were never saved in the first place because the 3rd point proves that they received the Holy Spirit from God:

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom 8:14).

So these are saved saints to begin with.

Conclusion

So, the author of Hebrews says that there is a possibility of saints losing salvation if they are careless.

Answer 7

First of all, Hebrews 6:4 does not refer to these people as "once been saved", it says "once been enlightened"

Hebrews 6:4-6 NIV

4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

God revealed Himself to the Israelites, who were the first nation to recognize Him and receive the heavenly gift. God provided them with priests to govern their daily lives, prophets to communicate His word, and revelations of what is to come. Nevertheless, God said in Ezekiel 33:12-16;

12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. 14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. 16 None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.

The message calls for 'Repentance', and a commitment to never sin again.

God's promises never fail, and His words to the Israelites are applicable to present-day Christians who have been enlightened with the same truth. If an individual continues sinning after this enlightenment, can they expect Jesus Christ to come and die once again on the cross for their redemption?

The author of Hebrews suggests the answer is "NO".

Answer 8

I truly don’t believe that verses 4-6 are even talking about people. I think it’s about the angels who were once enlightened, who had tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, the good Word of God and the world to come.

No humans have experienced this. And so no it is impossible to renew them again. They have experienced where we are trying to go. The angels were in the presence of The Three represented in Heaven. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. By leaving their presence, How on earth can they repent??? They were with the Sacrifice from the beginning of time. There is no other Sacrifice

Answer 9

Like too many others, this post asks two questions rather than one. And like too many others, the current answers are far more complicated than they need to be.

Was the author saying that people who had once been saved could lose their salvation?

One could take this as implying or supporting that view, but it isn't definitive, and it isn't even the point of this scripture. Ideally, this part of the question should be deleted, and possibly asked as a separate question.

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What exactly did this mean to its original audience?

Paul is talking about (and to) people that have embraced Christianity, who have been baptized and received God's holy spirit.

The issue is regarding those that later succumb to the pressures of the carnal world and decide to turn their backs on Christianity.

From God's point of view, they are telling Jesus that they don't want his sacrifice, that his death was pointless and stupid. They are rejecting the gift of God's holy spirit, committing the unforgivable sin.
Luke 12:10:

And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

If someone rejects Christ, the holy spirit within them can guide them back to the truth. But if someone rejects God's spirit, there is nothing to guide them back and so it becomes impossible for them to receive salvation because, without God's spirit, salvation doesn't exist.

This is exactly what Paul is talking about here: it is impossible for them to be brought back to repentance. Trying to reconvert them is a waste of time. He's not saying that they can't, of their own volition, repent and be forgiven. He's saying only that no one else can convince them to return; it is a decision they must make for themselves.

Answer 10

What if the letter to the Hebrews was addressed to a local Christian congregation of Hebrews some of whom were saved and some of whom were not saved?

If so, the appeals to hold fast to hope unto the end (telos) are an appeal to those of Hebrew background who were yet to be saved to finally believe on the Lord Jesus Christ unto salvation. So, the hope is not the Christian's hope but the Hebrew Old Testament hope of the coming of the Messiah. And, the end (telos) is not the end of the person's life but the end (the terminus) of God's plan for Israel which was the coming of the Messiah. See?

In this case, all these passages that we assume are addressed to individual Christians that make it seem like Christians can lose salvation are really not even addressed to Christians. They are speaking to "enlightened" Hebrews who were hearing and hearing and hearing about Jesus Christ and attending and attending and attending the church but never actually got around to believing unto salvation. What a tragedy to be one of God's covenant people (a Hebrew) and never get around to believing on Jesus Christ when he came!

Answer 11

"To the Hebrews" like all the other non-Pauline writings (including the gospels) is addressing Jews and kingdom concerns. "To the Hebrews" is not about Paul's gospel but rather about the New Covenant that God made with the houses of Israel and Judah.

To give some context I would point out that the death of Christ accomplished more than one thing. In addition to providing a propitiation for justification by faith in the finished work of Christ (which is relevant to the gentiles) Jesus also ratified the New Covenant:

Heb 9:13  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:  Heb 9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  Heb 9:15  And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.  Heb 9:16  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.  Heb 9:17  For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.  Heb 9:18  Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.

The author brings up the same point of repudiating the blood of the covenant later in the letter:

Heb 10:19  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,  Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;  Heb 10:21  And having an high priest over the house of God;  Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.  Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)  Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.  Heb 10:26  For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,  Heb 10:27  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.  Heb 10:28  He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:  Heb 10:29  Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?  Heb 10:30  For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.  Heb 10:31  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  Heb 10:32  But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions;  Heb 10:33  Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used.  Heb 10:34  For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.  Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.  Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.  Heb 10:37  For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.  Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.  Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Notice that the use of "faith" in verse 38 relates to "constancy", not belief. It is specifically contrasted to "drawing back" and "sinning willfully". This concern is not relevant to those whose confidence is in the finished work of Christ because unlike the works dependent salvation of the Jews the gospel provides for a "sealing" in the holy spirit:

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,  Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

So while the law is written on the heart of a Jew in the New Covenant it does not provide security as does the gospel of the grace of God.

KJV unless otherwise noted.